News Archive - March 2015

Migrants ‘should pay for education’ says Ukip

The leader of the UK Independence Party says he does not believe immigrants coming to the UK should not be allowed to place their children into UK state schools immediately.

The party's website says it believes people coming to Britain from abroad should financially support themselves for five years, including paying for non-emergency healthcare, housing and education.

Leader Nigel Farage also said that people with UK visas should not be able to bring their dependents into the UK immediately. The party wants to prevent unskilled migrants entering the UK for five years and to introduce a points-based system for highly-skill migrants to decide whether they would be allowed to work in Britain.

In an interview with The Guardian, he said that even highly-skilled people would not be able to bring their families to the UK straight away. He also argued that “most countries in the world” required immigrants to pay for education and health services.

The party, which also opposes UK membership of the European Union, has made immigration central to its policies in the run-up to the General Election.

Mr Farage said: “I think we’re going to talk about a range of things, but I think it is absolutely a key issue and I think the others have now decided not to talk about it, which in many ways makes my life a lot easier.”

The MEP also said that he would step down as Ukip leader if he failed to win a Westminster seat at the General Election. He is standing in South Thanet in Kent, which is currently held by Conservative MP Laura Sandys.